One year older so time for a bucket list

March 11, 2015

I’m one year older. It’s the first time I’ve felt a bit blue about my birthday and my age. Bit silly really and it’s got me thinking what things do I really want to do, what I/we really want to do and achieve with life as a whole. I reckon this is just a start and I’ll add to the list.

I recently read The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau. He has a whole section on bucket lists where he recommends that you dream big and avoid limitations, ignore fear of failure, or of success. Avoid fuzzy goals.

He recommends you structure the list and you set a deadline on the goals and have one next step. So this is how I’ve structured my list…Goal:
Deadline:
Next Step: (one step)

Travel and adventure

Go backpacking. I would love to see more of the world, hit the open road with the family, spend loads of time with them, meet new people, be inspired and learn new things.
Deadline: 2020
Next Step: Get out of debt

Trek in Nepal. I had a flying visit to Nepal as part of my Rickshaw Run, but I would love to explore the country more and go trekking a bit.
Deadline: When our youngest is 10
Next Step: We as a family have a few trips on the horizon so we need to do those first. Nepal is top of my family holiday list but I think the girls will have more fun when they’re older. So, the next step is to encourage them to like hiking.

Trek in Iceland
Deadline: Before I’m 40
Next Step: This is a bit of an adventure for me and my wife, so the next step is for both of us to feel comfortable about leaving the girls for a week.

Climb a snow capped mountain i.e. Proper mountain climbing
Deadline: Death
Next Step: Hike some more, make more mountaineering and adventure friends.

Go WWOOF-ing
Deadline: end of 2015
Next Step: We’ve signed up to WWOOF UK and we’ve contacted a family so this is in progress.

Visit the Rockies
Deadline: 2016/17
Next Step: Save money

Horse back safari
Deadline: Before the girls get married
Next Step: This is a family holiday I’d like to do. The 3yo is learning to ride now so the next step is for @adelejk and I to learn to ride also.

Take the next random flight somewhere
Deadline: 2018
Next Step: Get a GB passport for @adelejk

Tour around Britain
Deadline: 2020
Next Step: Currently we’re home educating so this would be totally possible and part of their education. The next step is to put a date in the diary

Visit New Zealand
Deadline: Before I’m holding a walking stick
Next Step: Dream about it in more detail with @adelejk

See Aas a’ Chual Aluinn, Britains highest waterfall
Deadline: 2018
Next Step: find a camp site near by

Active

Sail the Atlantic. This has always been a dream and I can feel myself, as I get older, thinking “this will never happen”. So it must.
Deadline: 2030 – I think the girls need to be packed off to uni.
Next Step: Go sailing this summer

Canoe from Bristol to London with my older daughter
Deadline: 2020
Next Step: Take my 3yo (and the 1yo if I’m allowed) canoeing

Cycle 100m in a day
Deadline: 2015
Next Step: Cycle two 50 milers then cycle an 80miler.

Go cycle touring
Deadline: Before I’m 50
Next Step: Work out how it’s possible with the family.

Scuba dive
Deadline: Death
Next Step: this could happen when I’m in Thailand in 2016

Sky dive
Deadline: Death
Next Step: Go travelling. One of those things to do when backpacking I reckon.

Cycle a grand tour stage
Deadline: 2017
Next Step: Keep cycling with club and the opportunity will arise.

Cycle from Bristol to Paris
Deadline: 2017
Next Step: Put a date in the diary

Personal Development

Get out of debt (excluding mortgage and student loan)
Deadline: 2016
Next Step: Don’t buy coffee

Have a poly tunnel. One of the most beautiful poly tunnels I’ve seen is this one from a friend of mine Anna. It’s a great step towards self sufficiency.
Deadline: 2018
Next Step: Get a bit of land or an allotment

Grow an orchard
Deadline: 2025
Next Step: I’ve bought two apple trees. How many tress makes an orchard? I think we might need a bit more land or move to the country

Keep chickens
Deadline: 2016
Next Step: This is in progress. We have the house, and have bought a book so now need to read it!

Keep some livestock
Deadline: 2025
Next Step: go WWOOF-ing

Be self-sufficient
Deadline: 2025
Next Step: Increase productivity of the garden this year

Have my own business
Deadline: 2020
Next Step: Brainstorm using three circles

Academic/Creative

Make a documentary
Deadline: 2016
Next Step: I have an idea which is a bit secret but suffice to say the next step is related to point 1. Oh and watch documentaries. Learn documentary storytelling.

Do 365 photo challenge
Deadline: Not this year but by the time I’m 40
Next Step: Keep taking photos and keep the passion going.

Photograph or film 100 interesting people
Deadline: Death
Next Step: I need to make a list of 100 people (blog post soon)

Family

Climb Snowdon with the girls
Deadline: The youngest should be about 6 maybe so in 2020
Next Step: Go on a walk aka hunt for something or other.

Trip to Disney land Florida
Deadline and next step: I need to research the height the girls need to be for rides to work out deadline

All go caving
Deadline: 2024 – when the younger is about 10 might be the best time
Next Step: Find child friendly company, probably on the Mendips.

Build a tree house This is an interesting one. When did parents start building tree houses for kids? This could be ticked off the list if the girls decide to do this on their own. Although an adult style tree house/ classroom/ design studio would be cool.
Deadline: 2025
Next Step: Buy/ rent a house with a tree

Visit Lundy Island. I visited this as a kid and loved it, so technically this is ticked off, but I want to do it with the family.
Deadline: 2025 – could be anytime but when the kids can snorkel might be best
Next Step: Book the ferry

Have a Swallows and Amazons adventure. I realise the kids ought to be doing this solo. But they can put that on their own bucket list. I want to do it with them.
Deadline: 2018
Next Step: Find an appropriate island.

Godliness

Faith should pervade through everything on this page, so the below are things that just pertain to my faith directly.

Read the Bible in a year
Deadline: Next year
Next Step: Read the Bible.

Volunteer with a relief organisation
Deadline: No deadline
Next Step: Find organisations that can facilitate this.

I’ve been a bit reluctant to post this online as it feels quite final. And I’m sure there is loads of things I haven’t thought of but I’m going to keep this fluid and add to it as I come up with more stuff. The last thing I want to do is not do something because it’s not on the list.

some great things on that list, New Zealand is stunning, we had 3.5 weeks there a few years ago travelling around in a campervan with our 6 month old daughter. I want to make a work change and have a rough plan but I think I might need to work on those next steps if it’s going to be a reality.Ben recently posted…Grow your own

WOW! I don’t even remember how I just stumbled upon your blog, but I’m so glad I did 🙂
Beautiful post; beautiful wishes; beautiful dreams… GO GET ‘EM! x

I just spent a week in Barcelona on a coaching course. So much of the ‘results’ seen in coaching is because you do exactly this: What do you want? …What’s the next step…
I’d add one more question in the middle – because the awareness brought by the answer can be astounding – Why is this important for you?

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About Chasing Wilderness

I am a father of two who is on the hunt for a bit of wild whether big or small - whether it be a little bit of wilderness in the city, the garden or the great outdoors, up a mountain or in the sea.

I want to keep up myself active and mentally stimulated and do the same for my daughters and keep them away from computers and televisions as they grow up.

I love surfing, windsurfing, sailing, walking, cycling and taking photos. I am not particularly professional at any of these, in fact it want to embrace my nativity, and inspire others to get involved with chasing a little bit of wilderness.

The wilderness in calling. I just need the motivation to chase it down.